


Damn the Gods

by FortinbrasFTW



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-18
Updated: 2012-07-18
Packaged: 2017-11-10 05:01:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/462465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FortinbrasFTW/pseuds/FortinbrasFTW
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"He'd saved him from starvation once before. He could do it again."</p><p>This is an alternate ending sequel to my previous fic "Despite It All" read that first (please) it's all the context. Thanks!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Damn the Gods

The chairs were close together, there beside the fire. And as Davos' lids dropped heavily over his tired eyes he could hear the steady sound of Stannis' quiet breathing beside him, for once unpolluted by the grinding of his teeth. It was so steady and constant, strong and unceasing against all things. Davos felt so warm there in that chair. Was he looking at him? He felt as if he might be- as he did sometimes, when he thought he didn't see. Davos hadn't even noticed that his eyes had shut at all and by then the feeling of Stannis' oddly gentle stare against him, the steady hum of his breath, and the smell of salt had all drifted into dreams.

He had never been a heavy sleeper. Somewhere in the heavy warmth of darkness he felt hard, long fingers clumsily come to rest over his own. 

His senses slunk back in around him, the smell of the dying fire, the feel of the chair underneath him. His eyes tried to flutter open but he had just enough pretense of mind to keep them shut. 

Lightly, Stannis' fingers touched the back of his hand and Davos felt his breathing shift unbidden and at that the touch flinched.

Davos rolled his shoulder slightly and made his breathing return to what it had been despite the fact that his heart was for some reason beating hard in his chest.

 _Just take his hand._ That's all he needed to do. Just reach out and hold it, and let him feel that he did not have to be afraid. He would not even have to open his eyes, he could just drift back to sleep, the both of them, fingers ever so slightly twined together- a promise to be there, to simply be there no matter what was needed.

 _He'd pull away,_  the treacherous voice in his mind echoed _._ Davos could almost see the desperately hidden shame and fear in his blue eyes- like the sea fighting the stony shores of his stoic face.

Calloused and hard as stone, Stannis' hesitant hand pressed down on his own, as if sure now that he was truly sleeping. It felt like a child testing water, timid at first and then confident enough at least to let it past their ankles. 

Tenderly those long fingers slipped under his left hand and lifted it, turning it back and forth carefully as if looking closely at the stumps where his joints had once been.

 _His work._  Davos thought until a tentative finger ran delicately over the severed end of his index finger and a strange tingling sensation wafted down his arm, shocking all thoughts from him.

The lean, clumsy hand rolled his own slowly until they lay palm to palm.

His hands were bigger than his.  _Rough hands._ Why did that surprise him? Stannis had handled ropes as well, and far more swords than Stannis had ever even lifted.

Carefully the thin but strong fingers stretched out under his and gingerly laid their tips to where each of his should have been.

Davos felt himself shiver as the strange sensation snaked up his arm and down his back but somehow Stannis didn't seem to notice it.

Stannis' thumb ran across the back of his own. Thick and present and warmer than he would have thought possible.

Davos's lips parted on their own.

 _It's a dream._  He told himslef,  _just a dream._   _I could still wake up…_

And with that thought Davos felt his own fingers twitch to tighten ever so slightly against his. And the other hand tightened back, just so much that if it had been anyone else, any other moment that did not have every nerve of his body so very alive he might not have noticed it.

Stannis' breathing still sounded, as steady as ever, but somehow louder than they had been against the gentle hum of the sea.

Davos felt his hand lowered carefully back down the the arm of his chair.

_No, stay. Please._

But it was too late. He was already gone.

Davos heard the chair beside him creak and underneath that a smaller sound that might have been mistaken for a strangled sigh. And then it was quiet, and all too still, not even the sound of breathing to disturb the air. Could he have left so quietly?

He felt his breath catch in his throat as warm fingers slipped over his hair. So, hesitant, barely brushing the brown strands stiffened by salt, and then with a sharp intake of air sounding in his ears those strong fingers sunk deep and almost grasped.

Davos felt a small sound swell in the back of his throat but swallowed it hard.

The fingers slid and turned, brushing knuckles across his lightly bearded cheek. He could have sworn he felt them shaking.

Stannis' hand rested on his shoulder, his thumb lying flush across the taunt muscle of his neck, his Lord's palm rising and falling with the breathing he couldn't possibly hope to keep even any longer. 

The hand on his chest pressed tight and then he felt a forehead lean against his own.

"Davos," He heard him whisper. Ever so quietly, ever so weakly.

And there they stayed, breathes jumbled together clumsily as the sea sang outside.

All he wanted was to open his eyes- to see that blue stare so close and know for certain what it held. But he didn't and after what felt like hardly a moment and yet an eternity the hand began to lift from his chest as he pulled away.

Davos' hand moved on it's own- catching as desperately and yet gently as he could around the back of his neck.

His eyes were open now, there was no more hiding that, but the way Stannis stared down at him through the shock he seemed to know he had been awake all along. 

The stony sea of his stare was lashing hard against him, so much in a face so otherwise still- the fear, the loss, and above all the crying need.

His neck was hard as stone under his hand, each muscle tight and strained as his Lord's visage.

He couldn't look away from his eyes.

 _I knew one day I would drown here._ He thought,  _in this sea, with rocks just as hard and unforgiving._

Easily his fingers pressed ever so slightly into the tight muscles of his neck, urging them, pleading them with softness to let go.

And they did, with a heavy shudder, relaxing, as Stannis' eyes fluttered shut and his breath hitched in his throat.

He felt the warmth of him so close to his skin, inches away. He smelled of wine, but more than that- salt, leather, and something else soft and heavy that made his head slip and his eyes feel suddenly unfocused.

The hand tightened on his chest and moved just barely an inch to rest the tips of his fingers against his pulsing neck. They felt so very warm, almost hot.

Stannis' eyes opened again but they stared straight, down at his chest, no longer into his eyes. He felt the tightness of his muscles creeping back.

_No… you've given me so much. Please, just let me give this to you._

But he couldn't. He was Stannis- Stannis the unloved, the undeserving, the undesired, and he could not let himself have what he thought was sealed away from him forever.

He shook his head slightly and Davos felt his hand tremble before the outstretched fingers snapped into his fist, balled tight and his jaw clenched down hard.

"Davos," He began, his voice so small and so low and he almost felt his rumble against his chest, "Davos, I--"

Davos kissed him.

He'd had the courage and arrogance to save him from starvation once. He could do it again.

He moved quickly, before he lost his nerve and his lips hit Stannis' firmly and when he felt him pull back ever so slightly in shock he pressed his finger into his neck just for a moment, and Stannis froze: his eyes slammed shut as if focusing every single bit of existence on the feeling of his mouth under his own.

But Davos could not press him- he had sailed to the gates, but they had to be opened. Maybe some men want to starve.

His lips stayed closed, despite the fire burning in his chest, only pressing ever so gently, a soft tentative question left hanging without words. And then, slowly, he pulled back, his upper lip leaving before his lower with the most gentle sound against the steady lapping of waves.

With heavy lidded eyes Davos looked at him. He hadn't moved. His eyes stayed shut so very tight, his hand a tight ball of iron on his chest.

_He's terrified._

Suddenly he felt ill.  _What have I done?_

His breath caught in his throat, hoarse and raw, "My Lord, I--"

But this time he stopped him.

Stannis' mouth hit his so hard the breath shot from his chest and in an instant heat surged over him, pulsing down his neck and pooling in his groin as he felt himself surge. 

The hand that had sat so unyielding on his chest spread and slid urgently up his neck and deep into his hair, pulling him forward.

Davos' lips opened on their own as his eyes shut almost as tight as his Lord's and he heard Stannis groan ever so slightly when his tongue hit his with furious need.

The sound shot through him with such intensely that he suddenly felt dizzy and he reached out for him, one strong hand locking around Stannis' upper arm while the other clasped the side of his face, the feel of his stubble under his fingers and the coarseness of that jet black hair better than the smoothest silk.

Stannis kissed him deeply, almost clumsily but so full of heat and need that it couldn't matter less.

Davos felt his arm tighten under his hand, still so tense.

All he wanted to do was tell him it was fine, to not be afraid, that he was there and always would be. But he could hardly make his mind work, let alone his lips form words. The idea of parting from him even for an instant seemed impossible. 

Stannis' hand raked through his hair roughly and he leaned into it, his back arching ever so slightly and pushing his hips forward. He felt his cock strain against the leather on his breeches and suddenly realized just how hard he was.

With a soft kiss he pulled his mouth from his Lord's and laid it open and flush against his neck. He felt Stannis jolt and his breath gasp hot against his ear which only made his tongue dash out to run over the stiff solid muscles of his neck.

 _I truly am drowning._ He thought in the muffled darkness of his vision with the sound of the sea in his ears and the taste of salt on his tongue.

He let his teeth catch as his hands snatched at his hips.

"Gods--" The voice echoed deep and heavy against his ear, and Stannis' hips seemed to buck forward on their own under his touch, shoving the hard heat of his cock against his leg.

Davos heard himself moan deep in the back of his throat and suddenly hated how cramped the chair was in which he sat.

His all too eager hands acting brashly without his permission pulled at Stannis' waist, urging him down onto him but his Lord resisted.

"No," He heard him almost growl against his ear.

_Oh Seven save me, please not now._

"Here," Came the voice again and he felt a hand clamp onto his shoulder and urge him upwards.

He obeyed but by the time he was standing on embarrassingly shaky legs Stannis' back was turned but his fingers were knitted tight around the stumps of his own and he was pulling him after him across the room.

Davos followed with stumbling steps, his brain hardly working through the thick fog of lust, the only thought his throbbing cock between in legs and the way his Lord's back moved as he pulled him towards the table strewn with papers fluttering in the breeze of the night.

Stannis almost shoved him against it.

_So strong. When did he become so strong?_

But had never had a chance to know how strong he was had he? He'd lifted enough swords in his life, but the thought of him swinging steel against that fat oaf of a brother and always getting knocked down no matter how strong he was filled Davos' chest with such surging emotions and he caught him about the neck again and tried to pull him to his lips.

But Stannis' hand pressed tight to his chest and stopped him.

"Wait," He said, his voice so thick and low and almost shaking, "Just…"

Davos did as he was told even though his chest was heaving under him and his hips itched to thrust themselves against his and feel if he was as brutally hard as he.

Stannis simply looked at him, eyes glazed lips parted. He look into his face, eyes running across the stubble of his jaw and down the thin but strained muscles of his neck, over his chest and his small waist, closing his mouth to swallow hard as he stared at the strained bulge under his belt.

Davos caught his face in his hand, turning his stony jaw back to him.

 _You're still afraid he'll stop._ How could be possibly, how could he now?  _He's Stannis. He can. He would._

Stannis' thick stare rested on his eyes, the blue seas within tearing him to pieces. His thumb ran across the thin beard of his jaw and then up across the bottom of his lip. Davos knew how hard he was breathing. He would have been ashamed if he was capable of thinking of anything beside the way his Lord's jaw slackened in his hand as he pressed his thumb against his lip and delicately, timidly, pressed it ever so slightly into the warmth of his mouth.

He couldn't stop himself any longer. He took Stannis' thumb between his lips and held it tight and when his Lord's eyes fluttered and he groaned so perfectly Davos caught his foot behind Stannis' ankle and shoved him too roughly between his spread legs. 

Stannis stumbled, pulling his hand away and catching himself with both hands on the table behind Davos, but when their hips slid together he gasped loudly his arms gave way and he almost tumbled. But Davos caught him about the waist and held him firm, wantonly grinding his aching erection against his, hardly believing how good it felt, his stomach surging at the knowledge that he was just as aroused as he was.

He suddenly shied for a slip second, realizing how brash he was acting- ashamed suddenly at what might seem a lack of respect, but Stannis' hands dug in tight above his hip bones and shoved himself even harder into his manhood.

He pressed again and again, as Davos' hands scrambled desperately laying on his neck with the tips of his fingers scraping against the scratch of his jet black hair. His eyes were so thick with lust that he could hardly see what was before him just Stannis's chest pressing forward with each painfully pleasurable thrust of his hips. He wanted to tear his tunic away, to taste the salt on his chest and feel his skin under his hands. But he didn't- it was so foolish, why would ripping a tunic matter now?

Instead one hand slid down his Lord's back and slipped under the fabric, pressing the hot hard skin of his lower back firmly, and Stannis rewarded him with a long hard stroke directly up the full length of his cock.

Davos groaned so loud he hated himself but only in a small, mute and meaningless part of his mind.

Stannis stayed where he was, tight against him, his breathing hard and close and then Davos realized he was looking at him.

He pulled his stare away from their knitted hips and looked back.

The sight made his chest surge- his Lord's eyes were thick was lust, his lips parted, face flushed and hair askew. Unbidden Davos' hand reached up slowly to cup his cheek.

"Davos," Stannis said, his voice might have been a whisper if it wasn't so rough. The fear shot through his Lord's eyes as his hand softened on his hip, "This… you have gods."

Davos' tongue snapped on it's own and he hardly recognized the hoarse voice that slipped from him; "Damn the gods."

Stannis stared down at him in shock, and then, he actually smiled and Davos' heart surged so hard with love for him and he had to pull him down and kiss him over and over as gently as he could not even caring about the tears he felt pricking in his own eyes.

But before hardly a moment he felt Stannis' lips open wet and warm over his own and the blazing desire crashed into him again with even more force. He kissed him hard and harder, his hands scrambling over his body, feeling the sinewy strong muscles of his thin body surging against him. His Lord's hands forced their way between them and grabbed hold of his tunic, tugging at it so hard it split down the center.

Davos laughed, unable to stop himself, but Stannis either didn't hear or didn't care as his mouth rushed down his neck to his now exposed chest grunting in need as he pressed himself harder into the heat of his pulsing member.

Davos pushed back and Stannis suddenly gasped against his chest, resting his forehead there clumsily and breathing hard.

He was close now, too close. He had wanted to serve.

_He's a Lord, my honorable Lord who would ask for what he did not feel he had a right to. But I'm just a lowborn smuggler, and I have no such honor._

Before he could feel the glorious friction of Stannis against him again he wrapped an arm around his waist and swung him about, pressing him against the table and pulling desperatly at the laces of his breeches. 

Stannis stared down at him half in shock half in maddening desire that made him look that boy he had been not so very long ago,  _the boy he still is._

He wanted to take his time, to slide his hand around the hot weight of him steadily, spreading the moisture he already knew was there with his thumb before slowly and steadily pressing down the whole of his length. But it was too late for that now, his blood was screaming and he could hardly think so with one quick motion he pulled him free, dropped to his knees grabbed his hips and drove him deep into his mouth.

Stannis moan so deep and so loud that he felt himself start to go but he held on desperately, dragging his tongue heavily up the length of him and pressing the heat of his mouth down him again.

His Lord shook underneath him, murmuring something between gasps that he could almost believe was his name.

His hips started to twitch and trash and Davos slid the wet heat of his lips faster and faster until he felt him jolt forward with sudden vicious strength as he gasped almost soundlessly and his hand slid wildly, knocking ink onto the stone flood and sending it spilling thick and black.

As soon as the bitter salt of his cum touched his tongue Davos felt himself start to spill and pressed himself hard into Stannis' leg and he shuddered, hardly able to keep holding him hard and firm between his lips as the pleasure coursed through him and he moaned deep in the back of his throat. 

Stannis' thrusts slowed and Davos swallowed easily as the last electrifying jolts of pleasure snaked shivering up his spine.

His hand was in his hair, pushing it back gently, almost lovingly.

The haze was lifting. Davos leaned his forehead against Stannis' thigh, his eyes dumbly watching the black ink spreading across the floor.

Above him he could hear Stannis' breath slowing, calming and he could hear the ocean once more. The hands moved steadily in his hair, slowly, warmly, holding him ever so slightly against the stony body beside him.

It was cold suddenly, and he shivered. When had it gotten so light? He turned carefully and felt the wooden chair under his body as the cold wind shot across his neck where he sat.

And then he was awake.

He stared dumbly in front of him- the grey of dawn seeping thickly into the room.  _No not dawn._

He turned, body stiff from sleep in the chair and saw the snow drifting down from the grey sky above. He stared at it for a moment, emptily, apparently not feeling the cold.

A heavy knock came at the door and Davos jolted back to himself, standing stiffly.

"Yes?"

The door pushed open and Maester Cressen shuffled in, "There Ser, Lord Stannis said I might find you here. I wanted to be sure you didn't miss the morning meal. There's quite a feast spread in honor of young Shireen."

Davos nodded awkwardly, the night still hanging on and making him feel groggy and slow. Images still slipped through his brain. It was hard to hear the Maester's words.

"Yes," He murmured, "Yes of course,"

Cressen turned to him with concern, "Did you sleep here all night- through when this snow started?"

Davos ran a hand over the back of his neck and nodded.

"Well, I'll have to be sure we get you a nice cup of mulled wine as we break our fast." He smiled, friendly and warm.

Davos tried to answer but his voice caught. He cleared his throat, "Yes, that would be most welcome. Thank you Maester."

Cressen watched him with slight interest for a moment more and then turned towards the door, "Shall we?"

Davos nodded and Cressen turned towards the dreaded steps. 

Davos Seaworth took one last look about the solar and then followed him, not noticing as he stepped through a small pool of freshly spilt ink on his way down the endless stairs to raise a glass to his Lord and his Lady, seven blessings upon them both.


End file.
